After creating our initial design, we were ready to create a second, improved prototype.
One of the problems we decided to address was the issue of ease of use. A stationary pot, with multiple cords running off the bottom, is hard to serve food out of and to clean after use. To eliminate this issue, we designed a solar electric cooker that is comprised of two pots: one that is stationary and another that is mobile.
The pot that will be stationary was first cut in half using an electric saw, and then two slits were made in the side with a handheld saw. This made it possible to for a second, whole pot to fit snuggly inside the stationary (cut) pot.
A diode chain fashioned with wires was soldered and then fastened to the bottom of the cut, stationary pot and secured with JB Weld.
Now that we had a smaller, stagnant pot riddled with wires, we were able to use a large, clean pot for cooking. The large pot has no modifications and simply slides into place within the stationary base (cut pot.)
Some issues this design may present are heat transfer and insulation. Now that we have two pots, we must ensure the heat generated by the diode chain can infiltrate the base pot as well as the moving, cooking pot. This means we must make sure to maximize the amount of direct contact surface area between the two pots in order to allow ease of heat transfer. To prevent heat from escaping, we will surround the stationary base with a layer of wool. This idea of insulation came from our contact in Malawi, Sheila Kamwendo, because wool clothing insulation is often what they use when cooking with an ISEC. When testing our Prototype #2, we will observe the difference in temperatures between the nested pot and the large cooking pot.
Now that one pot is not cluttered with wires, we can easily cook food, remove it from heat, serve to others, and clean afterwards!
